Commissioning cost-effective telecare delivery services (UK)

There’s a major article by Kevin Doughty in the November 2012 CUHTec newsletter (PDF) about commissioning telecare delivery services in the UK. “Many telecare services are at a crossroads. Should they take the managed service propositions offered by several national companies or should they keep as much as possible in-house? The article explains in detail the pros and cons of each position…Telecare services in the UK have developed over 50 years, building on a mature infrastructure of social alarm systems that have supported both tenants of sheltered housing schemes and people who live in dispersed housing. The latest estimates suggest that the number of people supported in this way is approaching 1.8 million. Testament to the success of telecare and community services is the fact that the number of residents in UK care or nursing homes in 2012 stands at about 450,000, which is nearly 25% less than the number in 1996 despite the number of people aged over 80 years having more than doubled during this period.”